Page 2 of Daddy's Heart

I’m on my feet in about two seconds flat. He lifted me like I’m nothing and at two-hundred eighteen pounds, nothing is not really how I would describe me.

I’m not ashamed of my body, but I know I’m no featherlight.

With a whooshing exhale, my feet connect to solid ground, but his hands are still on me.

Thumbs under my ribs. Heat burning through my scrubs.

My eyes trail up, and up, and my heart forgets how to beat.

Colt Boone is huge.

A mountain of a man with messy dark hair and a chest made of hard lines and thick muscle. His jaw clenches like it wants tosnap steel in half. There’s a scar on his neck that draws my eyes like a magnet.

And then there are his eyes.

They remind me of my son’s favorite Blue Raspberry flavored Slurpee. Like a frozen Mediterranean tide pool.

And right now, they’re locked on me like he’s trying to memorize the shape of my soul.

He’s not just gorgeous. He’s so magnificent, it’s hard to keep my eyes on him.

Like looking at the sun, I have to take him in in little bits, or I’ll go blind.

“You drove up here alone, in that?” His voice is rough as his eyes dart to my car, Adam’s apple moving as he swallows.

I blink, my heart slamming into my ribs. “It’s got all-wheel drive…” I swallow right with him, distractingly aware he still hasn’t let me go. “I’m your home care provider.”

His gaze drops to my feet, then slowly drags up my legs, lingering in places that make my thighs clench.

“Flats? Did you not know you were driving half way to heaven up the side of a mountain?” His thick brow furrows. “You could’vebroken your fuckin’ neck.”

My breath catches, a defensive anger making me blink. “But, I didn’t, did I?” I squirm out of his grip which makes his mouth tick into an infuriatingly sex frown. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to sue you for negligent path maintenance causing great bodily injury.”

He takes a long breath, his stupidly sexy chest expanding under the plaid flannel, then he sniffs and his eyes drop to where I’m favoring my left leg. “You’re fuckingbleeding.”

He sounds absolutelyfuriousabout it.

“It’s just a scrape.” I glance down, thinking this must be how Nancy Kerigan felt after getting whacked with that metal police baton.

“You shouldn’t be scraped at all.” His jaw ticks as his hands finally drop away from my waist, though he doesn’t step back. If anything, he leans closer. “Little girl like you, you shouldn’t even be out here.”

Little?

I frown, suddenly defensive. Is he being an asshole right now? “I’m a medical assistant from the agency assigned to you after your hospital stay. I came to take care of you.”

His nostrils flare like he doesn’t like that answer one bit. “You’re not takin’ care of me while you’re hurt.”

I swear smoke is starting to come out of his ears. I blink. Blink. Blink.

He leans in closer, so close I can feel his breath brush my lips.

“You showed up forme. You bled forme. You think I’m not going to make sure you are taken care of?

I shift back a half-step. His lips are so close I don’t trust myself not to lean in and kiss him, full tongue.

The way he says the part about being taken care of sounds dirty in the best sort of way and I swear the carved grizzly is taunting me from over his shoulder.

“I’m just here to clean your wound, not get a lecture on mountain safety. So, let’s just do that, shall we?”

---